The banks of cages for poultry-farming are generally composed by one or more stages of cages. On each stage, two rows of cages are located, their distance varying, in the case of more than one stage, in order to avoid the correspondence in the vertical direction of the cages pertaining to different stages. Normally, the distance between the two rows of cages increases in each stage in the descending direction. The various cages are arranged in a supporting structure, in such a way that the external wall of all the cages pertaining to a row lay in a coplanar position. Furthermore, the stage of said cages has a slight inclination toward said external wall. The external wall does not reach the stage, so as to provide at the bottom a front opening through which the eggs go out, rolling on the sloping bottom of the cage, which extends slightly from said opening, in order to form an exit ramp. The ramps of all the cages of a same row are coplanar, with the free edge aligned. Adjoining this free edge, along each row of cages, a conveyor belt circulates, provided for gathering the eggs from the various cages.
Till at present, for the gathering of the eggs in the banks of the above-mentioned type, two belts are provided in each stage. Each belt slides in front of one of the rows of each stage and is arranged between end wheels or rollers having a horizontal axis, with an upper advancing run, which slides next to the exit ramps of the cages, for the gathering of the eggs, and a lower reverse run. With this arrangement, only the advancing run of each belt is usable, which requires a go and back belt for each row of cages.
On the other hand, the advancing run of the belts pertaining to rows of cages placed on different stages, terminates at different levels, it being necessary to provide means which gather the eggs proceeding from the different belts and arrange them on a same plane.
Generally, the poultry-farming plants comprise numerous banks parallel to one another, placing a general conveyor belt for the gathering of the eggs proceeding from the various cages. In order to achieve the complete mechanization of the plant, it is necessary to arrange between each bank and the general conveyor belt a bucket device or the like, which receives the eggs from the belts of the cages situated at different levels and places the same at the level of the general conveyor belt, into which they slide.